VOTE FOR THE ENVIRONMENT this federal ELECTION - VOTE smart

Wednesday, September 24th 2008 10:49:13am

VoteForEnvironment.ca offers strategic advice on how to defeat Stephen Harper

OTTAWA – Canadians have a powerful new online tool to help them cast a vote for the environment.

VoteForEnvironment.ca provides a recommended pick for every riding in the country for the Liberal, NDP, Green or Bloc party candidate most likely to overwhelm their Conservative opponent.

“At a time when we need urgent global action on climate change, Stephen Harper seems to be the only national leader in North American who just doesn’t care,” said Kevin Grandia, co-founder of VoteForEnvironment.ca. “Yet now the pro-environment vote looks like it’s splitting again among the four environmentally conscious parties, creating the possibility that Harper’s Conservatives may win a second term – maybe even a majority. The best way to block that win is to vote strategically – to vote for the environment instead of for any political party.”

The website gathers the latest polls and cross-references them against the 2006 results. It then adds some on-the-ground analysis to predict the likely outcome in each of the 308 ridings. Voters can plug in their postal code and instantly see the last election results modified to show which party is likely leading. The site currently identifies 63 ridings where a Conservative victory can be stopped if progressive voters unite behind a single candidate.

VoteForEnvironment.ca is party-neutral, looking only for the pro-environment candidate with the best chance of blocking a Conservative in each riding. In the analysis stage, the website collects relevant details – such as the retirement of an incumbent – and then searches to identify “swing” ridings, those in which an NDP, Bloc, Liberal or Green candidate could win if at least one-third of the opposition party supporters voted for them.

“Stephen Harper and the Conservative party are alone in the world in their unwillingness to take action on climate change,” Grandia said, “Even the Republicans and John McCain are proposing real goals and action.”

“That creates a local crisis and a global embarrassment. Canadians care about the environment and Stephen Harper doesn’t. Canadians want to show leadership on the world stage – and Stephen Harper won’t.”

While the site’s picks will change to reflect new data, in the 63 ridings currently in play, 44 would go to the Liberals, 11 to New Democrats, seven to Bloc candidates and one to Elizabeth May of the Green party. The VoteforEnvironment.ca site offers a concrete way to deliver a win-win-win for all four opposition parties.

“We believe most Canadians are interested in becoming part of the solution to the global environmental problems that affect us all,” said Alice Klein, co-founder of VoteforEnvironment.ca. “We also believe that Stephen Harper’s Bush-like agenda and tactics will bring about the most significant multi-partisan effort to defeat a sitting government in Canadian history.”

VoteforEnvironment.ca is a coalition of Canadians concerned about climate change. The coalition is focused on helping progressive Canadians understand the benefits of strategic voting as a mechanism to overcome a flawed electoral system. Ultimately, the group wants to prevent the re-election of a Harper government that has worked against efforts to fight climate change and has done significant damage to Canada’s international reputation.